Sean Parente ’21 : Medical student aims to serve underserved communities
When Sean Parente ’21 was in Dr. Yang Cai’s Sociology of Medicine class, he learned about three factors that affect a person’s health care: health equity disparities, the cost and geographic disparities.
For a research paper, most students in the class chose to focus on health equity disparities or cost, but Parente “dove” right into the geographic disparities. That “strengthened my drive to [want] to be a physician or health care provider in a rural setting,” said Parente, a student in the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine program at the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Virginia campus. He is studying there on a National Health Service Corps scholarship, which covers his medical school tuition in return for his commitment to serve in a rural or underserved area as a primary care physician, a long-term goal of his.
Growing up in Woodstock, Virginia, Parente saw the hardships the rural poor face in the Shenandoah Valley where many people live below the federal poverty level. The scholarship’s focus resonated with him because of a “connection with communities such as my own,” he explained.
As a first-year medical student with “nonstop” studying, in addition to serving in the Army Reserves, Parente is grateful for the foundation he received in the Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences program at Caldwell University. The material the Natural Sciences Department faculty taught, the way they taught and the lessons he learned about discipline and diligence are proving valuable in medical school. Dr. William Velhagen’s classes were a good “on-ramp” to medical school, said Parente. Velhagen’s knowledge, the course content and the way he set up exams, “which were like boards,” encouraged students to think in ways that prepared them for the future, Parente said.
Caldwell is a family matter for the Parentes. His parents met at Caldwell, two of his aunts attended and a great uncle worked in admissions. Parente has shared notes with his family on teachers they appreciated, such as theology and philosophy professor Dr. James Flynn. “I took Dr. Flynn for a couple of classes, and he was awesome,” said Parente. He also pointed to his appreciation for Dr. Stephen Maret in psychology and Dr. Edward Zappi in the sciences.
Parente graduated from Caldwell with the highest GPA in his major. He reacted with humility. “It had to be close. There were a lot of smart people in the class … I’m sure there were some ‘right there’ … it was a blessing,” he said.
Reflecting on his time at Caldwell, Parente is grateful that he engaged in activities outside of the classroom, like running track and cross country and taking a “much-needed break” with a “community of guys” he still keeps in touch with. He also took part in the Midnight Runs to New York City sponsored by the Campus Ministry Office and found reaching out to the homeless rewarding. Parente carries those values and his faith with him today as he aims toward a career in medicine to help those on the margins. Caldwell’s foundations of prayer, study, community and action are serving him well. Those four Dominican pillars, said Parente, “were awesome.”